It was the night of the lottery…we all gathered in a Royal Park apartment to party and watch the results..I was number 8..September 7th..1948…but we must have been cursed…all of us from Winston-Salem that went to Reynolds High…had lottery numbers under 50…what a depressing evening…we all had secret plans….medical problems..etc..but mine was my homosexuality…so when I went for the physical..I..with much consternation.."checked the box"..declaring that I had homosexual tendecies…what a day it was..I changed my physical date and location to avoid all of my buddies at RJR High..but ended up in Durham with a group who I also knew from Chapel Hill…I had to shake them knowing that hell was going to break loose…I checked the box..went through the physical..at the end I knew things would start flying..I shook my Carolina buddy group and hung with a group of poor black kids from Wilson..who took our places on the killing fields..they called us into the final review process…I counted down and broke in line to make sure I was the last seen..but because I was white they saw me first.."Are you an active homosexual"?? screamed the officer.."when was the last time you had sex with a man" …I have always wished that I said fifteen minutes ago..but I answered truthfully…"Last night"…He told me my life was in ruins..etc..etc..and was screaming..the black kids from Wilson were plastered on the wall totally freaked out…He said you know now your name is "mud"…and he wrote all over my form..ACTIVE HOMOSEXUAL….and bitterly dismissed me..I was devastated…headed for the door…and a handsome young man at the door..the final processor..looked at my forms..and said "Congratulations" you are FREE….I walked out in the streets…and started dancing..I was out of Vietnam! Those poor black kids were sent to hamburger hill to die for us..! Later in life…I went to the parade memorial for the Vietnam Veterans honoring the new memorial in D.C. So many of the names on that wall could have been my own. My heart goes out to those who died in Vietnam and their families. And now we are in another absurd war where imperialist powers attempt to dominate! God help America! P.S. I have had 37 years of teaching in Maryland and I have loved every minute!
